Going South

Today’s plan was to go to Sumburgh Head, to look at the view and the birds and to stop off at Hoswick (near Sandwich) briefly to see Niela and then return via Loch Spiggie & St Ninian’s Isle. This is what we did! Wow – if you want to go to a textile shop that is truly original, inviting and inspirational then this is the one. You could just look for ages and think wow, wow and wow. I had met Niela at Wonderwool and we have a mutual friend, Jeanette Sendler ( in Perth and Newburgh www.textilecentre.co.uk ). It was great talking to Niela about her designer artwear , designer art yarn , dyeing, textile things that I am doing etc that time flew by and I had to remind Niela that I actually wanted to buy a ‘cardigan’ – this doesn’t do the garment justice! My only problem was which one to chose. The designs are great as are the fibres and construction and this will not be the only one I have from her collections I know. Mine is a crocodile – upside down in glorious shades of green. Do take a look at her site – www.nielanell.com . The rest of the day was superb but this was the highlight for me!

I hope this conveys the scrumptious texture of my ‘upside down’

 

Design Inspiration

We are staying in a beautiful spot, having sea on 3 sides is wonderful. We spent a day driving round Nesting – there is a lot to explore further if we have time. I did manage to do some of the alpaca scarf, it is getting much closer to the 10” from the tip that I am aiming for but each row is getting longer and much concentration is needed for the pattern. An unexpected highlight was spotting 8 Eider through the telescope before breakfast. On Monday we went on another exploratory drive in the morning and had our coffee stop in a wonderful isolated patch of moorland. My driving skills are improving; I had forgotten how hilly/mountainous parts of Mainland are. We are very excited as we have booked a midnight bird watching trip to Mousa.  We pottered on ‘our’ beach and I have loads of photos as inspiration for yarn and knitwear design. This is one of my favourites; a knitted top is in my mind’s eye.  

 

I seem to have an infinite number of favourites which is going to cause me have some tough (but pleasant) decisions to make later.

 

Fair Isle Head Band

We were on the way to  to have a bird walk but managed to fit in a stop at Baltasound Post Office to post a couple of cards – this is Britain’s most northern post office and the post mistress will add a stamp to the letter to say this! The post office doubles up as a small stationers and also has a good range of knitted items for sale. These are all ( or mainly) in fair –isle pattern and are knitted in Unst. I treated myself to a headband, but had the usual dilemma about which colour ways would be most suitable. I took the ‘let it be seen’ rather than a very toning ‘option’. I am posting a picture of me wearing this later.

The rest of the day was spent on a superb walk with the warden at Hermaness National Nature Reserve where I took an amazing selection of photos several that I feel might be inspiration or very special hand spun and natural dyed yarn.

Just look at the colours and then there are the textures…..

Possessions

Wightwick Manor, just has to be one of my favourite National Trust properties, particularly due to the Pre Raphaelite and William Morris links. I just had to treat myself to a tea cloth when I visited, not because it is a tea cloth but because of the William Morris quote ‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.’
I have spent much of January, thinking about or actually involved in sorting out my aunt’s bungalow after her death. This quote kept coming back to me – why were some things kept? I can understand the sentimental things, the favourite cake tin but others were a mystery.
There were new unwrapped and unworn clothes, lots of clothes the same, clothes that would never be worn and so it went on. They were, for the most part, tidily arranged on nice hangers, mainly padded but oh so many! That got me thinking about my own clothes and what would someone be thinking if they had to see to them!
So I am forming some New Year resolutions (for my New Year which started on Feb. 1st!). I have already sorted the wardrobe and have only one item per hanger and only things hanging up that fit the William Morris mantra – but it is the last part of that which I am going to aim to home in on … ‘believe to be beautiful’. I do have real joy when I open my wardrobe door. But how will I do? I have clothes in other places! Then when I have done the clothes what about my yarns and fabrics? I do have quite a store of each!

I have yarns that I do not believe to be beautiful (very old acrylics) I am a ‘natural‘ person- wool being my favourite yarn and these that are pretending to be wool substitutes are the ones I so dislike. I can’t really see that many of these are useful to me. Will I think of ‘a use’ for them for me? Do I just remove them from my house? The answer ought to be yes but will it be?

Little Moreton Hall yarn sample 2

Sample 2 now completed.

This has been washed, which gives a better idea of the final yarn. It hangs well and is a balanced yarn. It conveys to me the colours of the building and the wood holding it together. Whilst being a contemporary yarn it is not so ‘off the wall’ that it is difficult to find a use for it, other than to look at it and admire it! I am happy with this, so this will be the yarn. In plying the charcoal grey finer yarn is held in the left hand with the decorative slub yarn winding round it. The next stage is to spin a bobbin of this and to see it in a hank.

The Importance of Sampling

I had a picture in my mind of my Little Moreton Hall Yarn -it was to be a singles thick and thin slub. When I spun a sample of this it clearly was not going to be any more than a great yarn to look, to my mind it wasn't going to functional! It was too full of air! On further research I found that this was not uncommon. It has been found that commercial 'tops' has been found to give the best thick and thin slub. That makes sense as the fibres will be more dense in the commercial stuff.

So further thinking was needed. Back at the drawing board -actually in the shower - and thinking back to my building I realised I could make a yarn that was even more suitable for my title of Little Moreton Hall yarn. I would spin one ply as a smallish slub mixed yarn and ply it with finer charcoal /black singles, just as the dark oak is holding the fabric together.
Here is the first attempt – still a little light so another sample is needed. Both slub and the charcoal grey are S spun, and Z plyed.

Intial thoughts on the design of the yarn

From the building:
Off white lime(?) plaster
Lots of dark grey oak forming the frame
Orange/yellow lichen catching the sun on the roof
A ‘natural’ building
Traditional / Heritage
A grand building

From the Guild (Alsager Weavers, Spinners and Dyers) strapline
‘promoting our traditional textile crafts with a contemporary twist’

The window in the second photo is of the Long Gallery where the exhibition is being held.

Little Moreton Hall Designer Yarn

Alsager Weavers, Spinners and Dyers are delighted to be at Little Moreton Hall for their exhibition this year ( June 1st - 12th). It is a wonderful Tudor National Trust building and our exhibition will be in the Great Hall and room adjoining.
I love to demonstrate spinning at the exhibition and this year I thought I would spin a yarn designed just for the Hall. I have designed yarns before but not done it publically so to speak so here goes.
It will be a slow yarn! In the context of LMH by that I mean:
• I hope to enjoy the process of making the yarn as much (or more) than the yarn I produce
• I will enjoy talking to to visitors and I hope encourage visitors that they too can master spinning skills as I demonstrate what I am doing
• During the demonstrating I show how my spinning is the same and different from spinning in the past (linking with the history of the hall)
• The fleece will be sourced locally
• The colour will be ‘naturally dyed’ and where possible the plants will be gathered by me
• It will be a unique yarn that I have created